The avenue is protected as a "significant place" on the Heritage Victoria register, which has complicated attempts to replace the trees as many begin to reach the end of their life cycle and die.

Moyne Shire Council was able to invoke emergency measures to avoid Heritage Victoria signoff before cleaning up the dozens of splintered boughs hanging off trees and across the Hamilton Highway.

A council spokesman said an arborist attended the avenue to inspect the worst-hit of the 191 Monterey cypresses on Friday, and they were still on site assessing each tree one by one. The spokesman said the trees may require significant lopping and pruning.

Moyne Shire mayor Ian Smith said Heritage Victoria approved of the emergency work.

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A year has passed since the council committed to replacing the aging cypresses with holm oak trees at a cost of $450,000, but so far none of the trees have been replaced.

Cr Smith said the approval process with Heritage Victoria slowed down the process.

It is a decade since Mortlake RSL approached the council in 2012, asking for the trees to be replaced.

Locals initially requested the cypresses be replaced with spotted gums, but Heritage Victoria rejected the proposal.

Cr Smith said several dozen holm oaks had been ordered and he believed the plan was to begin the replacement program in the autumn.

Trees will be on the agenda at Moyne Shire Council's first monthly meeting for 2022, with proposals in Port Fairy and Macarthur coming before the councillors.

One item is a petition by Port Fairy residents to remove nine Norfolk Island hibiscus trees in Bank Street, west of Princes Highway.

The other is an arborist's report assessing the health of eight large eucalypts on High Street, Macarthur following ongoing concern from residents.

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